Vale's Guardian
by ancient lantean
Summary: All I wanted to do was get a drink after getting stranded here. I guess that's too much to ask. Characters subject to change.
1. So a Warlock Walks Into a Bar

Ok, let's give this a shot. RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. Destiny is owned by Bungie and Activision.

You ever wonder why we're here? Not in a religious or existential way. Why am I here in this bar? I mean, sure the drinks are alright, and the music can be pretty good. Thing is, I'm pretty sure my Ghost wants to complain about wasting time. Thing is we still need information, and the owner of this place is a wanna be info broker.

"Bartender, another round. Leave the bottle." I say with a sigh. I look to where the owner, a man known as "Junior." Well, this is interesting. Looks like someone's trying to make a deal. Gotta take quick peeks or else the twins Junior hired will notice. Let's see:white suit, black fedora, red hair, and a cane. Yep, looks like that crook Torchwick. Interesting. Vale PD is offering a bounty on him, but it's only really ever given out to Huntsmen or Huntresses. Might have to pay them a visit to tip them off.

This has pretty much been my life since I crashed on this planet almost two years ago. Mostly, I've been trying to concentrate on fixing my ship and making enough Lien to stay alive. Was a little annoyed when my Glimmer stash was called useless by every shop I went to. Interestingly, I've found another use for it. It seems that, if you add the raw substance in a cube of Glimmer with a bit of Dust, it acts like an amplifier for it. With this in mind, I've been building up a stash of Lien to try to open my own shop. Haven't had much luck, which is why I hang around places like this to get info on jobs available in the area, legal or no.

'That's why this is a bad idea, Guardian.' Speak of the devil, there's my Ghost now.' If we are caught doing these jobs, we will never find a way to repair the Kestrel and return home.'

'But without those jobs, we can't get the Lien to buy the parts to fix it. Even if we get the parts, there's no way we can fix the warp drive. On top of that we have no idea how far we were thrown off course or even if we are in the local cluster.' Pretty much, I've given up on getting home. I'll keep my eyes and ears open to try to find a way, but if not I want to find a way to live here. I really hope he doesn't push this and make me look crazy for the tenth time this week.

'If you say so Guardian. Keep in mind, the longer we stay here the further the Darkness spreads.' He always ends with that. Tries to scare me into doing what he wants. I know the Darkness will spread, and if it shows here I'll destroy it with extreme prejudice. Looks like Torchwick is done, he's moving off and looking satisfied with whatever they discussed. Hmm, what's this? Junior's shaking the twins off and getting a drink. Now might be my chance…if a long-haired blonde didn't just sit right next to him. Damn, have to wait a bit longer. Something about this doesn't seem right. She seems a bit young to be here, but then again I'm not one to talk. Seems like she needs some info from Junior…and I don't think crushing his testes is a good way to go about it.

Ok, looks like this is going to get interesting. I reach down next to my stool and grab my helmet. Good old Chroma Vow. I stand and start to make my way to the doors before shit really goes down. Unfortunately, Junior's sent flying into one of the mirror/light towers before I get there. With a sigh, I turn back and try to help the civvies get out before someone gets shot.

"Damn…" Whoever she is, blondie's got some moves. She's taken down most of the Axe Gang, but DJ Deadbear over there's pulling out an assault rifle. I make a split-second decision and Blink behind him. Before he knows what happened, I knock him out with a blow to the head. Hopefully he stays down for a while. I look out to the dance floor and get a nod of thanks. I gesture behind her where the twins are approaching. She turns back as I try to walk to the door again.

"You with her?" I turn to my left and see Junior. He's apparently recovered enough, and that rocket launcher he's sporting doesn't look too friendly.

"Nope, just don't like assholes with assault rifles firing wildly on a room with civvies nearby. I don't have a problem with you yet, but you keep pointing that at me and I will." I reply, ready to Blink again if it looks like he'll shoot. Before that can happen, the red-themed twin goes flying between us. We both look to the floor where blondie's finishing up with the twin in white. Junior then aims at her, looking a little too smug.

"You're gonna pay for that blondie." I hear him say. And here's where my inner caveman jumps in. God damnit, I hate it when men threaten women. I reach behind my back and pull out a hand cannon that looks like it was carved from the dark heart of one of the cracked moons of Saturn. The Thorn, the last piece of gear I found before the warp drive incident. I prime the magazine, and it starts to glow.

"Hey Junior, now I have a problem with you." I say as I am the Thorn at his head. He pauses as he sees me aim the gun at his head. Blondie uses my distraction to jump in close and pummel him out the window. Huh, shotgun gauntlets. Never seen those before. I put the Thorn back in place and proceed to walk out.

"Hey! I could have taken him myself!" Blondie yells as I try to walk out. "But thanks. I'm Yang!" Well, at least I have a name now.

"Telc Andross. A pleasure, but I'm going to clear out before the cops get here, and I suggest you do the same." I reply as I finally make it to the door. Jesus, how big was this damn bar? Oh well, back to the mine where I hid my ship to try to get some sleep. Still no new job, so I'm gonna have to try somewhere new tomorrow. As I get on my Sparrow to get there, I'm left thinking about the events that led to this.

So what do you think?


	2. New Beginnings

**Time/Date +317 Years after the Fall**

**"Unofficial" First Age of Reclamation**

**Orbit of Venus**

"So, how much longer are we going to wait?" A rather annoyed Human asks from the cockpit of his Arcadia-class jumpship. "It's been three hours, I'm getting bored.." He looks it, too. Half-asleep after helping clear out a Vex bunker for the fourth time today. Any other time, he'd be in the right. Unfortunately for the Exo that has to listen to him complain, he's not.

"He's just having a bit of trouble integrating that replacement drive. He's lucky that's all he has to do after that last approach. Thought he'd have to hitch a ride with one of us after his Kestrel took those hits to the drive." Glowing purple photoreceptors, the closest thing an Exo has to eyes narrow in thought. "It really shouldn't be taking this long, though." As he swings about in his own Regulus-class ship, he scans local space once more to figure out if something's wrong.

"Ty if you want to keep waiting, that's on you. I'm getting hungry, gonna see if I can find a place that does a decent Philly cheese steak when we get back. I'll see…wait, is that him?"

"It's about time. I was about to go down and transmat him against his will if it took much longer." Ty says, annoyance filtering through the slightly mechanical sound of his voice.

"Yeah yeah. Sorry about that, my Ghost wanted to take a couple extra scans. Try to make sure this thing won't blow up when we flip the switch." An Awoken says from the pilot's seat of the Kestrel-class ship.

"Yeah, that shouldn't happen as long as we switch this drive out as soon as we hit the Tower. I barely trust it as is, Guardian." The ever-present Ghost says from the Awoken's side.

"Right, right. As soon as we get back." He answers. "So, what are your plans when we get back? Dom?"

"Like I was saying, try to get some decent grub. Ain't right when a guy can't get a good meal." Dom, the human, answers with a smirk.

"Probably try to read more about the wildlife of Venus, some history of Mars, the usual." Ty replies. "And you?"

"Try to get some sleep, probably. Maybe see how the latest Crucible matches went. Heard there was an Iron Banner challenge on the Moon." Telc replies.

"Ok Guardians, the drives are charged and ready to go." Each of our Ghosts say at the same time. Creepy little bastards they are.

"Ok guys, see you in orbit." Telc says as he hits the switch for the Warp engine. The calm blue light of a Warp tunnel envelops his ship. Everything seems normal.

"See, worried all that time for nothing." He really should have kept his mouth shut. Almost as soon as he's done talking, a strange rattling starts near the back of the ship. The tunel starts to fray, bits of red entering on the sides.

"What the hell? What's happening?"

"Unknown. Looks like…Some kind of surge in the drive! Hang on Guardian, this is going to be…Interesting!"

"Define 'Interesting.'"

"Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?"

"Ah crap." Telc says with a straight face before morphing into one of panic. Strapping in as best he can, he turns. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Try to shut down the drive, but that could shatter the whole ship and leave us drifting for eternity. Still a better option than waiting for inevitable death when the drive tears a hole in the verse."

"Ok, do it. We'll see how much Lady Luck loves me."

"Shutting off the drive in 5." The ship seems to shake even worse. "4" The whine of the warp drive takes on a tone like the shrieking of the damned. "3" The tunnel, more red than blue at this point, seems to stretch into the infinite. "2" Time seems to slow down. "1" Things seem to freeze.

_"Your Destiny shall take you far from here, Guardian. Use my Light to show them the way to fight the Darkness, whatever form it takes."_ A voice, or a chorus of voices seems to speak in the moment between seconds. It fades, but an impression of duty seems to imprint on Telc. And then it all goes to hell as the universe seems to cease to exist for a moment.

**Time/Date [ERROR] Anomaly **

**Location Unknown**

In a burst of light, a ship is flung from a red tear in reality. Spinning, completely out of control while several small explosions cover the hull.

".uar..an…Gua..ian…an... me, Guardian? Come on, you can't die now!"

"What…the hell was that? Strange voice…"

"Voice? What? Never mind. No time, Guardian. The warp drive is gone…nothing left, main and secondary engines offline, tertiary attitude jets barely functional, main power on the fritz, and we're on fire!" Ghost says, just a bit of panic in his voice.

"Ok, ok…lemme get my helmet on and…Ok vent the ship, reset the reactor, and see what you can do about those engines. I'll try to straighten us out with the jets." As the air drains from the ship, the Ghost proceeds to try to do as I ask. Trying to straighten out a ship doing Immelman turns with nothing but attitude jets is not easy, or fun. As I try for the seventh time, a shudder runs through the ship.

"Guardian, I've got limited power back, and the secondary engines are now online. I wouldn't push them too hard." Ghost reports, sounding tired for once. Must have taken a lot out of him, I guess.

"You alright? You don't seem to be doing too well." I ask, a bit of concern in my voice.

"I can't feel it. My link to the Traveler, it's gone." He says, panic definitely settling in. To be honest, me too. The way he explained it once, all Ghosts are linked to the Traveler. It's what allows them to bring us back time after time. If its gone, chances are so are my redo's. More than that, if the Traveler's gone, or so far away he can't feel it, where the hell were we?

"Looks like short range scans are picking up a moon, Guardian. You may wish to start broadcasting a distress call." Morosely, like he's not expecting any answer at this point.

I ignore his mood and start broadcasting, hoping against hope. It seems an ill hope, for the computer doesn't recognize any constellations.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. Emergency code 2-4-1-10. I repeat, emergency code 2-4-1-10. My ship is damaged and I require assistance. Is there anyone out there?" I turn to the Ghost. "Any signs?"

The Ghost pauses, as if unsure. "Nothing recognizable Guardian, but I am reading signals coming from the planet behind the moon…" He stops as if in shock, all sections paused. "Guardian, you may wish to look out the window…"

I stare, confused at the Ghosts sudden shift. I look out, and what I see stops me in my metaphorical tracks.

"What in the name of…?" Where our moon was whole, this one looked like an angry godling had kicked part of it and sent pieces skittering off behind it. It was almost artistic, if it wasn't so horrifying. "Ghost, please tell me I'm not seeing this. Better yet, please tell me that isn't the Hellmouth." The home of the Hive, the Hellmouth was the stuff of my nightmares. If this was the end result, my nights just got _much_ worse.

"Luckily, no sign. Of any kind of civilization on the moon. Give me a few minutes to try to get long-range on." Ghost replies, and I let out a thankful sigh. Horrifying as that was, better a natural disaster than whatever the Hive were cooking up. "Just about…Got it! Confirming signs of life on the nearby planet, but again, no recognizable signs. No debris belt, either."

"Ok, so we have a goal at least. How long would it take us to get to the planet?"

"Roughly? About four days at our best possible speed. Hopefully we can get some more detailed scans before then." Four days? Hopefully we can get some systems repaired in that time.

"Right, set a course. Let's try to get some of this crap fixed before then." I say, with a heavy sigh, as I reach for my repair kit.

**Time/Date Anomoly + Six Days**

**Orbit of Unknown Planet**

Well, it took a bit longer than we hoped, but we made it. Engine damage was worse than we thought, so we had to shut down for a day as I went E.V.A. to fix some conduit damage. Either way, we're here and currently scanning the planet to find a decent place to land. Turns out, it's inhabited! Unfortunately, it seems that they have no concept of space travel, so it doesn't look like we'll have much luck finding a warp drive. No sign whatsoever of the Traveler, for good or ill. Ghost says he'd be able to "_feel_" the "resonance" of it's death, so I'm guessing that's a good thing.

"Any progress? This thing doesn't feel like it's going to last much longer out here." I ask, a bit nervous at the thought of trying to land at this point. Most of what we've done are patch jobs, quick repairs with whatever we have available.

"A few locations look promising, take a look."

I do so, and the first thing I see is pretty much suicide.

"You can't seriously expect me to just land in the capital of…what is it, Vale? And expect me not to get shot." Seriously, is he trying to get me killed?

"You wanted options, there they are. If not there, I still suggest landing on that continent. It seems to be a midpoint between most of these 'kingdoms'." I give him that point.

"Ok, but is there somewhere out of the way, far enough from the city that we can avoid locals, but close enough we can still get there relatively easy?" He spins and seems to check over the options available.

"Well, there does seem to be an old quarry/mine in this forest." On screen, a field of red-leaved trees appears.

"Interesting. Any dangers?" I ask, a smirk full of confidence appearing on my face.

"Seems like the forest is full of what they call 'Grim,' whatever they are. Think you're up to the challenge?" He asks, already knowing my answer.

"Ok, bring us in, as low as you can. We don't want local attention, not yet at least." With that, we enter onto an approach vector. I can almost hear a voice as we enter the upper stratosphere.

_Welcome to Remnant, Guardian_.

So, that's chapter two. Please let me know what you think in a review. Thanks.


	3. Landing

Still don't own it.

**Former Schnee Quarry**

**Forest of Forever Fall**

**Time/Date Anomaly +7 Days**

**11:57 PM Local Time**

As the Kestrel settles onto it's landing gear, I contemplate my options. It's the dead of night and I can only hope no one saw my ship's landing. We're deep in the woods, so hopefully it'll be overlooked.

"Systems have failed all throughout the ship, Guardian. It will take time and effort, not to mention supplies we don't have access to, for repairs. We'll have to scout out the area. Luckily, the transmat wasn't damaged in the overload, so we can still get the Sparrow out without making more holes in the hull. Time to get to work." With that, the Ghost gives me a few moments to get myself ready. Helmet and armor? Check. Thorn? Check.

"Might need something with a little more punch…" I look over my options. "Let's see…Sniper rifle won't help much in these woods, want to travel light…Shotgun's a little too heavy, but I do have this." 'This' started off as an old Deadlander shotgun. It seems that 'somebody' cut off half the barrel and stripped as much off it as they could 'cough cough.' It was a bit of a personal project of mine. Hopefully it wouldn't blow up in my hands. "Ok, let's go." The world seems to fade away and in an instant I'm in a dark quarry. Thorn up and ready to go, I scan my surroundings, ready to shoot anything coming out of the darkness. It seems quiet, and after a moment I relax my aim to take a closer look. Seems like we found a pretty good place. Of course it's also abandoned, so we should be cautious until we can find out why.

"Let's take a look around, see what we can dig up." With that said, I start walking towards an old set of barracks. It's definitely been a long time since they've been in use. Rusted, flaking, windows blown in and door blasted off to the side. Seeing this, I switch the Thorn for the shotgun. I take a closer look at it. Are those…claw marks? Looks like a Hive Thrall ripped it apart. My grip tightens on the stripped down Deadlander. Inside doesn't look much better. Beds thrown across the room, desks shattered, bones littering the floor. Bloodstains all over the place. I take a deep breath and move in further. It seems quiet, but there's a sense of…_something_ watching, waiting to strike. I summon my Ghost to provide a bit more light. That's when it attacks. All I catch a glimpse of is a shadowy arm ending in claws as it bats me through a wall. "Fuck!" I roll along the ground for a second before setting myself in a crouch, shotgun aimed at the hole. Shit that hurt. Arm feels like it was just hit by a Fallen Captain. The Ghost flies out, running from the thing.

"Guardian, I have no idea what the hell that is, but it definitely doesn't like you. Or me for that matter." 'That' comes out next, giving me a clear look at what it is. Seven feet tall, standing on it's hind legs with a wolf-like head and bone mask, glowing red eyes and it's skin, or maybe fur, black as night. It tilt its head back and howls into the night. I hear similar howls nearby.

"Shit." It has friends, and nearby if some of those howls are any indication. It leaps at me then, claws ready to tear me apart. I wait for it to get closer, finger on the trigger. Now! A blast of light, a peal of thunder, and it's sent flying back by a load of buckshot. Unfortunately, not quite down for the count. Darkness seems to pour out of the wound, and it's eyes narrow in rage. Most of it's left shoulder is gone, the arm about five feet off seems to be dissolving. It bellows and jumps at me again. I wait, steadying my aim. With a second flash and peal of thunder, most of it's head is disintegrated. I take a deep breath and know I can't stay still. It called friends before I killed it, so I probably only have a few moments before they show up. I look over the shotgun quickly as I reload. Well, at least it didn't blow up. "Ghost, get back to the Kestrel and prep the engines. We'll have to find another landing zone."

"That won't work Guardian. We were lucky they lasted as long as they did. Starting them without any repairs will likely just set off another surge and blow the reactor. We can still escape, but we'll have to use the Sparrow."

"Damn. Ok, we'll have to come back after we lose the pack. Do it." This'll make things more difficult. I'll have to clear out the area of these creatures before I can start any repairs.

"On it. Should only take a moment." It flies off, and I follow as fast as I can. Halfway there I spot something in the dirt. An old steel case, battered by the elements and claws of the creature and it's friends, no doubt, but still intact. I nab it as I run by, hoping there's something useful in it. I see the Sparrow appear under the ship. The hoverbike looks in good condition, so that's one thing going right. As if to spite me, I hear the snarls of more of the creatures behind me. The Ghost phases out through the Kestrel as I get to the Sparrow.

"Time to go!" I shout as I swing on the bike. I gun the engine and fly off, the light illuminating a pack of about thirty of those things. They're spread out in a line, charging towards us. I might not get them all, but it's too good an opportunity to take some out. I hit a switch to keep the bike moving in a straight line as I jump into the air. I recall my training, tapping into the well of Void energy within me. Concentrating it into the palms of my hands, I create a sphere of pure Void, the purple light glowing with awesome power. The Nova Bomb, the ultimate weapon of a Voidwalker. I let it fly with an effort of will, crashing into the center of their charge. Somethings wrong though. What would usually leave enemies vaporized( or at least severely weakened) seemed instead to _empower_ them. They grew taller, spikes growing out of their shoulders and bone plates growing thicker. "What the…" It still seems to trap them thanks to the warping field given off by the blast, so I only have a moment to escape. I land back on the bike and shoot off at full speed, leaving them in the dust. After a few harrowing near-misses, we emerge from the woods over a pair of train tracks.

"Please tell me I imagined that. Please tell me I didn't make them stronger." I beg, hoping that it was a trick of the light.

"I'm sorry, Guardian. It seems that your Nova Bomb made them more powerful. It was almost like they _absorbed_ the void energy. That shouldn't be possible. Void rips living things apart unless…" It trails off, uncertain. "I don't know. Maybe we can find out another time. For now, let's get out of here and rest." With that I kick the Sparrow back into gear, hoping to find a town nearby.

**Time/Date Anomaly +8 Days**

**Town of Rosefall**

**Hunter's Hostel**

**10:32 AM **

"Thanks for allowing me to stay the night, ma'am." I say as I walk out the door. Luckily I found this town after about an hour last night. Think I'll stay here a few days to rest. Though I will have to earn a bit of Lien to stay at the hostel or a hotel. As I turn down into an alley my Ghost materializes next to me.

"So what now? Find a bit of money? Work a few days? Or move on to Vale?" It asks, twisting around. I take a moment to consider.

"While I think Vale is a good goal for now, we should stay in town a few days to learn a bit more about the locals. Maybe we can learn more about those things as well." As I say this, I approach the Sparrow hidden in the back. At least I have a name for them. 'Grimm.' My weapons and gear hidden in a compartment under the seat. I arm up and head for the wall surrounding the town. Maybe I'll get lucky and they need a few more guards. As I get closer I start to hear a bit of panic. That forces me to speed up until I'm at the point I'm running down the street. At this point I can hear gunfire, screams, and the howls of the same Grimm I ran into last night. I get to the wall and jump up using the void energy at my command. I see chaos. The pack apparently grew at some point in the night. I see at least fifty of the beasts tearing at the walls, concentrating on the gates.

"Where are they all coming from?" One guard shouts. "Why are there so many Alphas? There are never that many in one place. Usually they're too busy killing each other." He's right. They're working together, and from what I was able to learn that is definitely a thing to be concerned about.

"No time for that, men. Fire!Fire until there's nothing left! Defend our town!" An older man, the captain of the guard, replies. With a rifle in hand he picks off another Beowolf clawing at the gate. I pull the Thorn and put an Alpha in my sight. Wait for it…Now! As it turned its head I fire. Miss, dammit. I'm aiming too far, can't get a good shot at this range. I retarget for one at the gate, breathe in, and fire. Direct hit. It starts dissolving as I aim at another, but they seem to realize they're losing too many of them. Several crouch and leap into the air, hoping to catch us off-guard. I aim at one, breathe out, and fire. It doesn't kill it but it definitely won't try that again. Retargeting, I'm almost on automatic at this point. Just have to keep from using my abilities and hope we take them down before I run out of ammo. Its not too long until I switch the Thorn for the Deadlander, the shotgun blasting away at anything trying to jump the wall. After what seems like hours, there's nothing left but a few Alphas, who run off into the woods before any of us can get a bead on them.

"Thanks for the help son, but who are you?" The captain asks.

"Telc Andross." I answer. "Just passing through and decided to help." I start heading towards the stairs. As I reach them I'm struck by a thought. "You guys need any help? I kind of need a job, and a place to stay if you know a good hotel."

"Hell, for the help you can stay at my shop! No charge, and I'll hire you as an apprentice weapon smith if if you have any talent. You ever work with dust-infusion before?" The old man who I assumed was the captain said.

"Nope," I say, "but I'm always willing to learn." I say as a smile splits my face. A place to stay, a job, and a new skill to learn? Sold! I realize something as I shake his hand. _What the hell is dust?_

T**ime/Date Anomaly +1 Year, 8 Days**

**Town of Rosefall**

**Western Gate**

In the past year, I've learned a hell of a lot. The long, sad history of Remnant that reminded me so much of home. How to build and maintain Dust-infused and Mecha-Shift weapons. And my personal favorite: My Glimmer sash wasn't as useless as I feared. When properly mixed with Dust, Glimmer can act as an enhancement. Took a few tries, and the mixture is never the same between different Dusts, but I can infuse it to give it a bit more punch, or to make a supply last that discovery I had my plan: Go to Vale, open a shop to raise money to get the supplies I need to try to repair my ship, and go home. I've gone back to the Kestrel a few times, started some minor repairs and clearing the area out.

"Thanks again for all the help, Husker." I say as I walk towards the gate. "Oh yeah, tell Apollo he still owes me fifty Lien when you see him." I give Husker a smile as I get on the Sparrow.

"Will do, Telc. Going to miss you at the shop, but I understand why you've got to move on." He says with a smirk. "Still, give some thought to becoming a Huntsman, will you? You've got the talent for it, and Beacon is always looking for new blood. If not, good luck with the shop."

"I'll consider it." I say, with a nod of my head, and I'm off. Next stop: Vale.

So what do you think? Big choice coming up soon, and I may need some help on a decision. Til next time.


End file.
